


i'll be there for you

by dragonbagel



Series: stop your soul from catching fire [2]
Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: Angst, Coming Out, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, I'll probs add more tags as I go, Kidnapping, Rescue Missions, Siren Rhys, Sirens, Torture, Trans Male Character, Trans Rhys, Trans Siren Rhys, Violence, somewhat nsfw scene at the beginning but nothing really happens, sort of self mutilation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-19
Updated: 2017-07-28
Packaged: 2018-12-04 06:38:44
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 14,128
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11549583
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dragonbagel/pseuds/dragonbagel
Summary: A scav gang infiltrates Atlas in search of a siren-- a siren that happens to be Rhys. Turning himself in has "bad idea" written all over it, but when the lives of his friends are put at risk, he finds he has no other choice.*This takes place aftershow me why you're strong





	1. when the rain starts to pour

Rhys and Sasha were in the middle of pulling off each other’s clothes during a heated make-out session in Rhys’ room at Atlas headquarters when the emergency alarm went off. 

Sasha groaned, letting her hands fall back into her lap from where they’d been in the middle of undoing Rhys’ belt buckle. “Seriously?”

Rhys looked similarly annoyed, especially because he’d almost gotten Sasha’s bra off. “I swear to god, these assholes can’t handle themselves for five freaking minutes.”

He frowned, and Sasha looked on with a prideful smirk at the way his lips were slightly swollen from their frantic kissing. They hadn’t seen each other in weeks, and their reunion (which had been one of the happiest surprises Rhys had ever received) had quickly divulged into desperate passion; spending far too many lonely nights sending less than professional photos and texts just wasn’t the same as the real thing, leaving both of them more than a bit pent up.

“You should probably go check it out, mister CEO,” Sasha said regrettably. 

“Can’t we just have five more minutes?” Rhys pouted, gaze still trained on Sasha’s chest. 

She chuckled as she kissed him again before reaching to readjust her bra and slip her shirt back on. “Don’t worry; when we get back here, I’ll more than make up for lost time.”

The sexy glint in her eyes had Rhys scrambling to fix his clothing into something somewhat presentable, desperate to return to what would no doubt involve a blowjob and mind-blowing sex as soon as possible. His pants felt way too tight, and he flushed as Sasha laughed. 

“What?” he said, focusing way too intently on the shoes he was putting on. “You already know you’re like, super hot, and it kind of, um, does its own thing.”

He gestured to his crotch, for the first time a bit annoyed at just how  _ well  _ the surgery had worked. But with the way the alarms were still annoyingly blaring, he didn’t really have any choice other than investigating with a hopefully not super obvious boner. 

Sasha just rolled her eyes, sliding on her boots with far more grace than Rhys. “Come on, let’s turn these stupid alarms off before I get a headache.”

Rhys nodded, opening the door and holding it open for Sasha before locking it with his ECHOeye. They made their way up from the underground level to the main facility, Sasha cringing as Rhys paused with a sharp intake of breath at the sight before them. The laboratory looked like a goliath had raged through it, tables overturned and prototypes strewn across the floor. Rhys sunk to his knees at the broken pieces of the gun he’d been dedicating nearly every waking hour to (when he wasn’t stuck dealing with business aspects that Vaughn and Yvette weren’t qualified for).

“Shit,” he said, his crestfallen expression compelling Sasha to place a comforting hand on his shoulder. “They- they destroyed it.”

He hadn’t realized his tattoos had started to glow from the rush of emotions he was feeling until Sasha quietly pointed it out, and he tried to focus his energy on cooling them down rather than thinking about the ruins his company was in.

“Rhys, there you are!”

He glanced up at Yvette’s voice, his friend and colleague glaring at him. “I’ve been looking for you everywhere! We need you to turn the damn alarm off and--”

She paused when she noticed the corroded remains of the work that had practically consumed him for the past few months. “Shit, Rhys, I’m sorry, I didn’t realize.”

“It’s fine,” Rhys said gruffly, turning away from what felt like his murdered child and pushing himself up to stand. His ECHOeye glowed yellow for a few moments, and the alarm soon subsided. 

“Finally,” Yvette said with a sigh, folding her arms across her orange business jacket. “Vaughn’s waiting for you in your office.”

Rhys nodded, following her as Sasha trailed behind him. “So what set off the alarm?”

Yvette shrugged. “We’re not totally sure yet. It seems like some sort of sabotage attempt.”

Rhys’ shoulders went rigid at her words, and he forced himself to keep his tattoos in check; there was no way he was about to have that whole “I’m a siren” conversation now, least of all with his emotionally-challenged friend. 

Vaughn was waiting for them when they entered the office, fiddling with his glasses as he leaned against the edge of Rhys’ desk. “Thank god you’re okay, bro.”

“Why wouldn’t I be?” Rhys tried to smile, but he was pretty sure it came off as more of a grimace.

“I think someone broke into the HQ,” Vaughn said, readjusting his glasses as he placed them back onto his face. “Looks like they hacked our systems.”

“Who?” Rhys asked, rounding the corner of the desk and turning on his computer. 

“I don’t know,” Vaughn admitted. “I tried to track them, but they blocked all the signals.”

Rhys grit his teeth; his company was under attack, and it seemed like there was nothing he could do about it. After all the time he’d spent trying to rebuild it-- could it really end like this?

His earlier question of the enemy’s identity was soon answered as a gunshot rang out and the door to his office was flung open by a hard kick. Everyone in the room took a step backwards at the sudden noise, their eyes immediately drawn to the heavily armed assailant in front of them. The woman grinned, revealing a few golden teeth from beneath the scarred gash running diagonally across the purple skin of her face. It reminded Rhys of Jack’s scar, and he shuddered involuntarily. 

“Which one of you fuckers is in charge?” 

Her voice was rough, like she’d been chain-smoking since birth. She didn’t look much older than Rhys, but her blood-stained military-grade outfit was far more intimidating than Rhys’ knockoff designer suit. Nobody responded, the air heavy with tension. 

“One of y’all best answer me, or my people will open fire on all your fancy lil’ worker bees downstairs.” 

The practiced way with which she handled her pistol and the hardened look on her face made it clear she’d follow through with her threat, and Rhys started forward before before Sasha stopped him with a well-aimed kick to his shin. He hissed in pain, turning and fixing her with a “what the hell” look. The way she shook her head was nearly imperceptible, but her message rang loud and clear: she wanted him to stay hidden.

The problem was, the message of the invading woman, whoever the hell she was, was much louder and clearer.

“It’s me,” he said, stepping out from behind the desk. “I’m in charge.”

The woman pursed her lips, as if she didn’t quite believe him. “What’s a scrawny thing like you doin’ with a company like this? Tryin’ to act like a big boy?”

Rhys huffed. “I’m perfectly qualified for this position. Now, tell me what you want with me before I call security on you.”

The woman’s expression was the epitome of patronizing. “Don’t try actin’ tough, honey. It’s not a good look on you.”

“Don’t call me that,” Rhys growled, clenching his flesh hand into a fist. “And you’d better answer me; what. Do. You.  _ Want?” _

“Didn’t your mama ever teach you manners?” She sneered at him. “You’re supposed to say ‘please,’ sweetheart.”

When Rhys just continued to glare at her, she finally threw up her hands in defeat to gratify him with an answer. “Fine,” she said, scowling. “I’ll be honest: I don’t really care about your shitty company. I just want your secret weapon.”

Rhys raised his brow, not following. “Excuse me?”

“Don’t play dumb,” she replied. “We know you’ve got a siren locked up here somewhere.”

Rhys froze before realizing he should probably maintain his composure. “What? We don’t have a siren!”

The woman’s body language made it clear she didn’t believe him in the slightest. “Don’t bullshit me.”

“I’m not bullshitting you!” Rhys spluttered.

The woman took a step closer to him, the proximity of her pistol causing him to flinch. “Don’t play games with me, boy. We Darksiders may be a lot of things, but we ain’t stupid.”

“Darksiders?” Rhys asked nervously. He’d heard horror stories about that scav gang, and he knew they were definitely bad news. 

“You heard me,” she said, placing the hand not holding the gun on her hip. “I’m Colonel Lara Anthony, second-in-command. And if you don't start talkin’, I’m gonna shoot your friends dead.”

Rhys glanced over his shoulder to see Vaughn’s face frozen in fear, Yvette looking just as terrified but trying to mask it in a glower. Sasha had a strange look on her face, although he soon was forced to turn back to face Lara as she gripped his cheeks with her hand.

“Last chance to answer me.”

Rhys shook his head, trying to get her hand off of him; it was difficult, what with her iron grip and the way she was nearly as tall as him. “I told you, there’s no siren here!”

“Fine,” she said, narrowing her eyes. “Guess we’ll have to find ‘em ourselves.” She clicked on the communication device strapped to her shoulder.  “Boys, start lookin’ through the girls downstairs. Kill anyone that gets in your way.”

“No, wait, please don’t--”

Rhys didn’t have a chance to finish his sentence before a bullet whizzed past him, aimed directly towards Lara’s head. He hadn’t even noticed Sasha pulling out a gun, and his heart filled with pride at just how smart she was. 

Then he realized that the bullet hadn’t hit, instead bouncing off of the shield clipped to Lara’s hip. 

“Get down!” he shouted as he ducked for cover, narrowly avoiding the shot fired from the pistol just inches from his face.

When he came to the conclusion that he should be dead at such a close range, that the bullet wasn’t meant for him, it was too late; the bullet had already lodged itself in Sasha’s shoulder.

“Fuck!” she shouted, her other hand clutching at the red stain starting to blossom underneath her shirt. 

“Sasha!” Rhys yelled, unsure of whether he was more scared or furious.

“I gave you your chance,” Lara hissed, clicking another bullet into the chamber and reaching to slide an SMG out of her other thigh holster.

Rhys felt stuck in place, unable to move even as Lara’s next words, ordered over her shoulder to the soldiers standing behind her, washed over him: “Take out these fuckers. We don’t need 'em no more.”

“No, stop, stop, I’ll pay you, I’ll give you anything, I’ll--” Rhys’ mouth went dry, unable to choke any more words out as he heard the unmistakable sound of gunshots. 

Then everything went white. Rhys scrunched his eyes shut at the flux of energy coursing through his veins and burning through him. When he opened them again, he froze at the realization of what he’d done. 

He’d phaselocked.

The bullets previously barreling towards him and his friends were suspended in the cloud of energy before him, just as still as everyone around him. His tattoos were glowing so bright that they shone from beneath his various layers, and he knew his wings must be visible at his back. Both Lara and Yvette had taken a step back in shock, while Vaughn and Sasha looked more mournful than anything.

“I don’t believe it,” Lara breathed, her surprise morphing into a hungry grin. 

Rhys felt his energy dwindling, the combination of his emotional instincts to protect those he loved and the residual power boost from eridium exposure in the vault still not enough to keep up with such an expenditure without actual, physical eridium in his system. Rhys fell to his knees in exhaustion as the suspension portal he’d created disappeared, the bullets clattering onto the floor. The light of his tattoos continued to pulse, but Rhys felt completely drained.

“Leave them alone,” he said, well aware that his voice sounded as tired as he felt. “You can have me, just leave them alone.”

“Rhys, stop,” Sasha hissed, still trying to staunch the blood flowing from the wound.

“Rhys, huh?” Lara mused, squishing his face between his fingers once again. Her nails, which were a shade of violet slightly darker than the rest of her body, dug into his skin, and Rhys bit his lip to keep from whimpering. “Weird name.”

Rhys laughed bitterly, trying to maintain his confident facade. “If I had a nickel for every time someone said that to me, I’d be paying my way off this planet in no time.”

The way that Lara’s face split into a grin made Rhys feel nauseous, and he probably would’ve puked if he had the energy to do so; he was having trouble forcing his mouth to form words at that point, nearly on the brink of passing out.

“Don’t worry, kid,” she said, her face way too close to Rhys’ for comfort. “We’ll be leaving this shithole soon.”

Rhys barely had time to register the metallic collar being removed from Lara’s pocket, still trying to comprehend her words through fog in his brain, before the device was slipped around his neck, locking in place with a click. It pressed against Rhys’ windpipe, and he had to make a conscious effort to get more air into his lungs.

“You shouldn’t exist, you know,” Lara mused, her nails dragging down Rhys’ jaw and neck before tearing open the top few buttons of his shirt. The silence in the room aside from the heavy breathing allowed Rhys to hear every echoing bounce of the pieces of plastic as they skidded across the floor. Rhys felt goosebumps rise on his skin as Lara traced the swirling pattern beneath his collarbones, the aggressiveness a stark contrast to Sasha’s gentle, wandering touch. 

“Don’t touch him!” Sasha snarled, trying to stalk forwards to pry the woman off of Rhys before the shotgun pointed towards her by one of Lara’s underlings stopped her in her tracks. She knew Rhys was too weak to protect her if a shell started to hurtle her way, and the weird collar around his neck seemed to exhaust him even further. 

Rhys looked guiltily towards her before a yank on the collar forced him to turn around.

“What are you, siren boy?” Lara hissed, pulling up on the collar and forcing Rhys to his feet.

The pressure on his neck made it practically impossible for him to speak, and even if he could respond, he had no idea what the hell he’d say. That he was some freak of nature? That he’d tried to change everything about himself but failed?

“Let’s go!” she barked to her lackies before tugging Rhys after her. “I need some time to get to know our new friend.”

“What about the others?” one Darksider asked, jerking a thumb towards Rhys’ friends. 

“Leave ‘em,” Lara replied. “We got what we came for.”

“No, wait!” Vaughn shouted, having finally found his voice. “You can’t take him!”

Lara cocked a brow, reached with her free hand to aim the pistol at her hip at Vaughn. “What was that, Shorty?”

“Don’t,” Rhys rasped, voice quiet and strained. “It’s okay. Just- just take care of her.”

He wasn’t quite sure if he was referring to his company or his girlfriend, but the looks on both Vaughn and Sasha’s faces showed they both got the message. 

“I’m sorry,” he said, stumbling after Lara as she began to drag him away.

Lara muttered something about finding the nearest Fast Travel station, and before Rhys’ friends could even react, the Darksiders had left the office, the unoiled door squeaking shut behind them. 

The three exchanged worried glances as the truth of what had just happened sunk in: a gang of scavengers had threatened to kill off the entire Atlas base in search of a siren. A siren that happened to be Rhys, who’d given himself up to save his friends. And now he was gone, taken off-planet to who knows where.

“What do we do?” Vaughn said, sniffling as he realized he was crying; he really did love his bro.

Sasha shook her head, apparently too emotional to even answer him. 

Surprisingly, it was Yvette who finally responded. “We’re taking Sasha to the medic. And then, we’re getting Rhys back.”


	2. like i've been there before

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasha, Vaughn and Yvette begin their quest to get Rhys back, while Rhys gets a little too acquainted with the Darksiders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> enjoy 12 and a half pages of angst! warnings for graphic violence/torture in this chapter (which can be avoided if you skip the middle section which is rhys' POV). i don't really know what's going on with lara's accent, so sorry if it's weird lol.

Sasha must’ve passed out at some point during the whole “getting a bullet dug out of her” ordeal, because when she opened her eyes again, she found herself alone and lying in a cot in the open-layout medical wing. Cassius, whom Rhys had hired as a doctor after finding out about his medical license, was nowhere to be found; knowing him, he was probably already eating drake-fruit back at the Atlas biodome, where he was oh-so-graciously allowed to continue to reside. 

Sasha quickly closed her eyes as she heard voices near her, her well-honed con artist instincts reminding her that this was a perfect opportunity to eavesdrop.

“--and tell me what’s going on.” Yvette’s voice, albeit exhausted-sounding, was firm as she spoke. 

“There’s nothing to tell!” Vaughn replied defensively.

“I’m not in the mood to be lied to,” Yvette said, and Sasha could only imagine the glare on her face. “What is he, Vaughn?”

Sasha had to force herself to remain still when she realized they were talking about Rhys.

“He’s a siren, Yvette; was it not obvious?” Vaughn sounded bitter as hell, and it made Sasha feel better that Vaughn was just as protective of her boyfriend as she was.

That feeling soon dissipated when Yvette asked her next question.

“How is that possible?”

Sasha wanted to interrupt, to guard Rhys’ secret after he’d finally trusted her with it. But she also didn’t want to come off as nosey or untrustworthy, since it seemed like they would be working together to get Rhys back sooner than later. 

“He was born with it, just like every other freaking siren!” Vaughn was clearly exasperated, probably wanting more than anything for the conversation to be over. 

“I want the truth.” Yvette’s voice commanded no excuses, and Sasha could only imagine the glare she was fixing Vaughn with.

Vaughn sighed. “Fine. Rhys- Rhys was born a girl. That’s how he’s a siren. Now can we  _ please  _ stop talking about this?”

Yvette had gone silent, and Sasha was about to sit up and punch whatever disgusted look she had straight off her face when she responded. “You could’ve just said that in the first place, asshole.”

She didn’t sound angry (aside from her annoyance at Vaughn), and it eased some of Sasha’s tension.

“It wasn’t my secret to tell,” Vaughn said lowly, guiltily.

“Yeah, well, now we can move on to actually finding a way to get that idiot back.” The happiness Sasha felt at Yvette’s nonchalant tone had her finally opening her eyes, attempting to feign that she was just now rousing.

“Oh, hey Sasha,” Vaughn said. Sasha couldn’t help but notice the way his cheeks were flushed, and she wished he didn’t feel so guilty for outing his friend for the sake of saving him. “How are you feeling?”

“Better,” Sasha said, and it wasn’t a total lie; she’d definitely been given an Anshin at some point, and while she’d probably be sore for a few weeks, she was more than ready to go track down Rhys.

“Good,” Yvette said. The woman wasn’t one to show much emotion, which helped Sasha in instances like this to keep her cool as well. “We’re planning to board a shuttle tomorrow for Elpis.”

“Elpis?” Sasha asked, confused.

“We think that’s where they took him,” Vaughn explained. “The Darksiders have a base there.”

“Okay,” Sasha said, nodding in acknowledgement. “But why aren’t we just using Fast Travel?”

Vaughn grimaced, and Yvette took the opportunity to answer. “They damaged the nearest station before they left, and the closest one after that is a few days’ drive away. We can make it to Elpis in a few hours once Ellie finishes fixing up a rocket for us.”

“Alright,” Sasha said. “What’re we doing until then?”

“Resting,” Yvette replied. “We need to be at our full strength if we’re going to get him out of this mess.”

Sasha knew there was no way in hell the ball of nerves in her stomach would let her fall back to sleep at that point, but she didn’t care to admit that to Rhys’ friends, who were also obviously worried. Instead, she asked the question that had been gnawing at her since the moment she’d woken up.

“What are they doing to him?”

Both Vaughn and Yvette paused from where they were in the process of leaving Sasha to get more sleep.

“We’re not- well, we’re not totally sure,” Vaughn said. “They said something about using him as a weapon, but we still don’t know what that means exactly.”

Sasha didn’t like the lack of a definitive answer, although it wasn’t their fault that they were just as confused as she was.

“But Rhys would never hurt anyone! He’s too much of a softie to even arm wrestle,” Sasha chuckled in a sad attempt to lighten the mood.

“We think that collar had something to do with it,” Yvette said, pulling up a holographic display from her comm. “The metal’s infused with melted down moonstones, practically a siren’s kryptonite. It’s similar to the records we have of the device Handsome Jack used to enslave his daughter.”

Sasha stared at the floating, slowly rotating image of the collar projected in front of her; she knew how that particular story about Handsome Jack’s escapades ended, and it made bile rise in her throat.

“You don’t think they’re using him to charge a Vault Key, do you?” Sasha couldn’t keep her voice from wavering. “That could kill him, just like it killed--”

Sasha broke off, unable to even finish her sentence. Luckily, Yvette and her level-headedness continued from where she stopped. 

“--Angel? Yes, we considered that,” she said, pushing her glasses back up from where they’d started to slide down her nose. “But none of our intel suggests that the Darksiders even have a Vault Key, much less know how to actually charge one.”

Sasha nodded, hating how Yvette’s words didn’t make her feel any better. There was still too much up in the air, too much unknown and setting Sasha on edge. Every second they stayed here was another second where Rhys was in danger, and Sasha willed tomorrow to come faster, if only for the chance to see him again. She knew Rhys was brave, that he’d fight back against them; but there was no way he could hold out forever. 

She just hoped that when they got there, it wouldn’t be too late.

* * *

Rhys couldn’t pinpoint his location exactly, but he knew that wherever he was, it wasn’t anywhere good. He could barely make out his surroundings, the only light in what he supposed was a room coming from the tiny skylight window above him. The faint outline of Pandora was visible through the glass, and Rhys shuddered as he realized he was somewhere on the moon. He had to get out of here, and  _ fast. _

He tugged at the restraints holding his arms spread-eagle and forcing him to kneel on the ground, the material strong enough that even his cybernetic arm couldn’t make it budge. The collar, which was still painfully digging into his skin, was also attached to a chain bolted to the wall. It was pulled taut, forcing Rhys’ head to lean backwards at an awkward and uncomfortable angle. He figured that at least he could look out the window like this.

He scrunched his face and closed his eyes as he willed his cybernetics to turn on, searching desperately for any sort of signal he could latch onto. The only network he found was weak and far away, and probably wouldn’t be able to even attempt to connect a call to Atlas; but what other choice did he have but to try?

There was a beeping noise in his ears as he easily hacked into the server, and the sound that could best be described as the dial-up tone got even louder as he dialed Vaughn’s number. He was surprised when his bro picked up, considering he’d been seriously doubting his luck at that point.

“Rhys?” Vaughn said, the sheer loudness of his voice making Rhys’ head throb.

“Hey buddy,” he replied. He hadn’t been able to get the video connection to go online, but he’d take what he’d get.

“What’s going on? Are you okay?”

Vaughn sounded panicked, and Rhys tried to play it cool rather than admit that he was just as scared. “I think so? I’m not totally sure what’s going on.”

“Don’t worry, bro,” Vaughn said, his voice starting to take on a slightly fuzzy quality.

“How’s Sasha?” Rhys asked, closing his eyes once more at his worsening headache.

“She’s fine, we-- Anshin, and then-- told Yvette, I’m sorry-- know what else to do.” 

The signal was starting to cut in and out, and Rhys tried his hardest to connect the dots. It seemed like Sasha was okay, a weight lifted from his chest. But what the hell was he saying about Yvette? That she knew he was a siren? Rhys had all but told her himself with the little show he’d put on.

“Vaughn? I’m losing the connection,” Rhys said, trying not to sound frantic. He didn’t know if he had the brainpower due to his exhaustion to try to fix the signal.

“--noticed, but we-- don’t worry, bro, it’s-- coming to get you.”

Rhys frowned. As much as he’d love to be freed as soon as possible, he didn’t want them to put themselves at risk. “Don’t, it’s fine, I--”

The line went dead, leaving Rhys alone once again, except this time with what was bordering on a migraine to keep him company. He had to get out of there, had to tell his friends to stay at Atlas and not do anything stupid like try to orchestrate a rescue mission. He could take care of this himself. Right? He was a “secret weapon,” after all.

Rhys searched inside himself for a spark of emotion, forcing himself to mentally rewatch Sasha getting shot, focusing on the pain all over her beautiful face. He could feel the energy starting to pulse within him, feel his tattoos starting to heat up. All he had to do was phasewalk out of these chains and find some way to escape from...wherever the hell he was. He could do this; he’d defeated a Vault Monster before, for fuck’s sake.

He watched his hands starting to fade from visible existence, and willed the rest of his body to follow suit. Just a little further…

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.”

Rhys didn’t have time to register the words before streams of electricity suddenly coursed through his body, emanating from the collar choking him. It wasn’t like his own siren energy; this was completely out of his control, and it hurt like hell. He heard himself scream, the sheer voltage running through him phasing his limbs back into their restrained existence and causing his entire body to go rigid. He was paralyzed, shuddering in pain as a helmeted figure stepped towards him.

“Please,” he gasped, his insides on fire.

He imagined the figure smirking at him under their helmet, and with a few button presses on a tiny remote attached to the sleeve on their forearm, the pain subsided. Rhys slumped forward, his body drained and unable to even hold himself up. The chain on the collar prevented him from falling onto his front, craning his neck even further backward and still sparking every few moments.

“Why are you tryin’ to leave so soon, Rhys? You only just got here.”

He recognized that voice, he slowly realized: it was Lara. 

“Heh,” he chuckled, vocal cords raw. “I don’t remember signing up for an all-expenses-paid vacation to Elpis.”

Lara’s fist slammed into his cheek, her other hand removing her helmet so that she could more effectively glare at him. “Don’t be a smartass, boy.”

Rhys could feel the skin starting to bruise, but he forced himself to meet her gaze. “Sorry,” he said sarcastically. “It’s just a part of my loveable personality.”

Lara looked like she wanted to hit him again, but kept her anger restrained. “Weren’t so cocky earlier when I was gonna kill all your lil’ friends, were ya?”

Rhys rolled his eyes and tried to keep his body from trembling. “You got what you wanted, bitch.”

Rhys cried out as another wave of shock jolted through him, leaving him panting. 

“Watch your tongue,” she said with a sneer, leering down at him. “And we don’t have everything- not yet.”

Rhys couldn’t help but swallow at her words, forcing the painful metal of the collar to dig even deeper into his skin. “Get away from me!”

“No can do, siren boy,” she said, shaking her head and stepping even closer.

“So what?” he said, trying in vain to inch away from her. “You’re just going to use me as some sort of weapon? Because I’m telling you now, I won’t do it!”

“How noble of you,” she said, tossing her head over her shoulder to call in reinforcements before turning back to him. “Unfortunately, you don’t have much of a choice.”

More Darksiders entered the room, all clad in full gear with tinted helmets obscuring their faces from Rhys’ view. Two of them flanked him, one pair of gloved hands stretching his shirt out as the other began slicing through the cloth with a switchblade. 

“What are you doing?” Rhys shouted, only being able to see the blurs of their motions out of the corner of his eye due to his inability to turn his head.

He cringed at the sound of ripping fabric, especially as one stroke of the knife ended up catching on the flesh of his side, just below his ribs.

“Watch it!” Lara ordered, causing the two scavs nearest Rhys to cower before renewing their efforts.

As much as Rhys wanted to struggle, he didn’t exactly want to be stabbed again; he could only watch in anxious horror as the scraps of what used to be his dress shirt were torn from his body, leaving his chest bare.

Lara whistled. “Would you look at them pretty tattoos right there?”

Rhys grit his teeth, avoiding eye contact.

“Did you want pants off too, Colonel?” 

Rhys hadn’t noticed one of the soldiers gripping one of his belt loops, and once he did, he tried to pull away, possibility of stabbing be damned. He was uncomfortable being naked around almost anyone other than Sasha; and he was  _ not _ about to be forced into the nude in front of some freaky alien gang members.

Much to Rhys’ relief, Lara shook her head. “Sirens don’t got tattoos below the belt.” 

She paused, then looked at Rhys with something lecherous in her gaze. “Unless you got any other surprises you want me to know about.”

Rhys tried to push his knees closer together to block her blatant ogling of his crotch, pretty sure he would die if any more of his body was forced out into the open. He attempted again to shake his head, but the chain constricting his movement and windpipe felt impossibly tighter.

Lara seemed to get his message, as she dismissed the two Darksiders nearest to him. Rhys didn’t get much relief, however, as another scav approached with a strange bundle of wires.

“Wait, what are you--”

“Hold still,” Lara commanded, as if Rhys could do anything else. 

He watched in trepidation as the scav pulled a small clamp from the pile, the metal vice connected to a reddish wire. Goosebumps erupted from his skin as the scav trailed a hand along his now-exposed tattoos, tracing the swirls like a scientist studying a fascinating new organism (Rhys supposed, quite bitterly, that this was probably the exact situation; he just had the bad luck of ending up under the observation glass). The movement didn’t stop even as the hand ghosted over his scars, and Rhys wondered if any of these bandits even knew what the incisions signified.

“Here,” the Darksider said, their voice tinny as it echoed within their helmet. They held a bit of Rhys’ flesh between their fingers, the pinching sensation intense.

Lara peered down at the area in question, the small indent between his left ribcage and his heart. One of the swirling tattoos was concentrated there, and she nodded in affirmation to the soldier. “Proceed.”

Rhys’ inability to defend himself, to move away or do anything other than avert his gaze from his vulnerable, exposed chest, made the horrible pain overtaking him that much worse. The Darksider had pinched Rhys’ skin, hard enough for nails to be felt from underneath the gloves, and then attached the clamp. Rhys had expected it to hurt; he was sensitive, and yeah, being pinched wasn’t exactly fun. What he  _ hadn’t  _ expected was for the clamp to practically sink into his skin, small divots in the metal pressing through flesh until they were lodged flush against the surface of the tattoo. Blood was rushing in Rhys’ ears, and he was vaguely aware of the fact he was trembling.

“Is he okay, boss?” the scav asked, running their hand along the forced melding of metal and flesh and causing Rhys to whimper in pain.

“Does it look like I care?” Lara snapped, glaring from where she sat fiddling with a weird-looking box.

“Of course not, Colonel,” the Darksider said, removing their hand. “It’s just, you know Magma wanted him alive n’ workin’.”

Lara growled. “Don’t he look alive enough to you?”

The scav quickly backtracked, trying to erase the apparently massive blunder they’d just made. “Yes ma’am, certainly.”

The Colonel didn’t look impressed, but she was distracted by a sudden success in whatever sort of rewiring task she’d been consumed by. “You wanna test him out?”

She spoke about Rhys as if he were a new gadget, a toy she couldn’t wait to play with. As if he weren’t even human.

He watched, frozen, as Lara handed the container she’d been holding to the scav, using the freeness of her hands to begin typing into that familiar, hellish remote on her arm.

“Stop, I--” Rhys’ words were broke of by an ear-splitting scream, one that was scrounged up from the very bottom of his bones. The fucking collar around his neck had pulsed with electricity again, forcing Rhys’ tattoos to glow as his body was taken over by desperate survival instincts. 

“Is it working?”

Rhys could barely hear Lara’s voice over the sound of his own agony, although his throat was growing sorer by the minute. 

“Take a look,” the Darksider replied.

Rhys’ consciousness faded in and out, so overcome with raw, excruciating pain that he could barely focus on anything else. He wanted more than anything to pass out, to not have to feel it anymore; but the electricity being forced through his body kept him paralyzed, barely able to even blink.

“--works, but not enough.”

Words finally broke through the fog in Rhys’ brain, and he mutedly noticed that the hum of electricity in his body had died down. Was it finally over? Rhys’ eyelids started to list, his body speeding past the point of tiredness to full-fledged unconsciousness. 

“Not so fast, boy.” Rhys tried to meet Lara’s gaze, making a last ditch effort to convey his sincere fear to her. “Now that we know you work, we can actually get crackin’.”

Rhys didn’t understand what her words meant, and eventually conceded that he didn’t really have to. He let his mind wander to thoughts of his friends and then, more specifically, to thoughts of Sasha. He desperately wanted to be near her, although if being electrocuted and tortured by a weird space-gang meant she was safe, he’d suffer through it a million times more.

He’d been so absorbed in his desperate surrender to the pulls of slumber that his forced return to consciousness felt uncomfortably jarring. Why didn’t his body know when to quit? 

A familiar sharp, biting smell reaching his nostrils answered that question faster than Rhys’ would’ve like to. He’d know that scent anywhere, the one like burning coals and crisp new money, a force that he didn’t so much as sense outwardly but  _ feel  _ from the very core of his being. It was power, in its purest form.

It was eridium.

Someone must have delivered it to the room when he was spacing out, because Lara was clutching five jagged, purple crystals in her fist. Rhys’ tattoos pulsed at the proximity of it, and he willed them to calm down. He wasn’t about to give in so easily, that was for damn sure.

“What the hell are you doing?” His first attempt to ask the question failed epically in a mess of numbed lips and hoarse vocal cords, but he managed to get the words out on the second try.

“Gettin’ you all juiced up for the big premiere,” Lara said, as casually as if she were helping him try on clothes for a night out.

“What does that even--” 

The entrance of a man no taller than Vaughn into what was effectively Rhys’ cell stopped him mid-thought, drawing the attention of all the room’s occupants. “Are we ready?”

His voice was loud and booming, far more intimidating than even Handsome Jack’s snide one. Like Lara, he wore no mask, and his purple skin sported similar nicks and scars.

“We’ve finished practice tests and are prepared to begin the first trial, General Magma Rivers sir!” Lara saluted, her voice and posture polished.

Rhys couldn’t stop himself from laughing. Maybe it was the residual pain, or the fear, or the presence of the eridium, or the fact that this dude was seriously fucking tiny, but the General's name had to be the funniest damn thing he’d ever heard.

“Magma Rivers?” he repeated, tears welling in the corners of his eyes. “You’re shitting me, right?”

“Excuse me?” the General said, glaring.

“Your name,” Rhys said, pausing to cough before falling back into a fit of laughter, “is fucking  _ Magma Rivers?” _

The man growled, shooting Rhys another nasty look before turning to his subordinates. “Start the power-up  _ now,” _ he ordered, causing the Darksiders to scramble to set in motion whatever the hell he was talking about. 

“And  _ you,” _ he said, the force of his words flinging spit onto Rhys’ face. “Shut your mouth and save your energy; you’re gonna need it.”

The General looked to Lara, his gaze pointed. “Make it hurt.”

With that, he exited the room, although in the darkness Rhys couldn’t make out any outline of any entryway. 

“I’d love nothing more,” Lara hissed, more to herself now than to Magma, as she stepped closer to Rhys. “Start the generator sequence!”

Rhys had no clue what that meant, but as the collar forced electricity through his body once again, he found he really,  _ really  _ didn’t like it. He was weak, too weak to resist the way his body was still trying to, and the sparking wire attached to the clamp on his chest felt like it was draining him even further. His motor control was failing, his eyesight fading into nothingness. At least this way he wouldn't feel all the pain anymore.

“Oh, no,” Lara said, her voice low and harsh. “We ain’t done with you yet.”

His scream caught in his throat as one of the eridium shards lodged itself in his abdomen, the energy shooting through him soon reaching painful levels as Lara continued to drive the crystal deeper into his skin. When she twisted it, the tendrils of pure force threatened to rip him in half, the overloading sensation creating a purple halo outlining his body. 

Normally, this would be the part where Rhys would admirably use his powers to escape in a totally badass way. But the neutralizing chain on his neck still electrocuting him and the wire glowing as bright as his tattoos kept him suspended in the moment, frozen in a helpless scream as Lara dug another piece of eridium into his pale stomach. 

He let the blinding surge of uncontrollable energy tear through him, unable to do anything but wait for the pain to drown him.

* * *

“Alright kids, let’s getchu rollin! Or, erm, getchu flyin’, I guess.”

Ellie grinned as she showed off her handiwork.

“This is so sweet!” Vaughn said, wandering around the outside of the rocket with wide, awed eyes.

“Ain’t she somethin’?” Ellie asked, running one of her hands over the orange-plated exterior.

“Scooter would be proud,” Sasha said, smiling.

Ellie blushed at the compliment, although the mention of her brother brought tears to her eyes. “Aww shucks, Sasha. You’re too good to me.”

“I mean it,” Sasha said, trying to hug the mechanic but unable to wrap her arms completely around her. Ellie just chuckled and squished Sasha in an even larger embrace, lifting her off the ground in a bear hug.

“Ah-- Ellie-- can’t-- breathe!” Sasha gasped out, giggling as Ellie apologized and dropped her.

“Thanks again, Ellie,” Yvette said, placing a hand on Ellie’s shoulder. “We owe you one.”

“Don’t you worry, honey. Always happy to help out friends of Scooter’s. Oh, and tell Rhys I miss ‘im when you find the chucklehead.”

“Will do,” Vaughn said, giving Ellie a handshake before boarding the ship.

“Guess that’s our cue.” Yvette followed Vaughn up the steps, but Sasha hung back.

“Ellie?” she asked, biting her lip; she didn’t know if she should ask the question bouncing around in her head, but she didn’t know what else to do. “How did you… when you found out Scooter died, how did you keep going?”

Ellie frowned, looking confused. Sasha hurried to elaborate. “If Rhys- if we find him, and he didn’t- what do I do, Ellie?”

She hadn’t realized she was crying until her words started coming out all warbled, and she was glad it was only in front of the least judgmental person she’d ever met.

Ellie gave her a sympathetic smile. “Rhys may be strange, but he’s one of the strongest guys I’ve ever met. He’s gonna be fine, hun.”

Sasha sniffled. “Yeah, I guess- I guess you’re right.”

“And he’s got you comin’ for him.” Ellie pulled her into another, gentler hug. “You’re brave, girl. I know you ain’t gonna let nothin’ happen to him.”

“Thank you,” Sasha said, trying to regain her composure.

“Any time,” Ellie said, smiling. “Now go join your friends and let’s get you out of here.”

Sasha returned the fond expression before entering the ship, gasping in shock at the pristine interior. It reminded her of the rocket they’d taken to Helios years ago, and she supposed Ellie must have learned her skills from somewhere.

“All good out there?” Vaughn asked, spinning in the seat he was buckled into.

“Yeah,” Sasha replied, strapping herself into another chair. “Just had to ask her something.”

Vaughn looked skeptical, but didn’t push for more information. “Ellie?” he said into the communicator attached to the dashboard. “We’re all set.”

“Okay, takeoff in ten, nine, eight…”

Sasha let her mind wander as the countdown continued, anxious about finding Rhys and what might have happened to him when she did.

“...three, two, one.” The roar of the rockets grew deafening, and soon they were being propelled from the ground, hurtling towards the Pandoran clouds. “Catch a riiiiiiiiide!”

Sasha watched the desert fade into the smoke billowing from the thrusters, acutely aware that she was leaving her home once again. It felt different this time in the ship without Rhys and Fiona to keep her company-- not that she had any issue with Vaughn and Yvette, of course. It just wasn’t the same. She realized that Fiona didn’t even know that she’d left, as her sister was so wrapped up in the whole Vault hunting business with Athena. The guilt settled heavily in her chest, almost as painful as the shame at allowing Rhys to give himself up to save them.

_ “Just take care of her.”  _ Rhys’ words echoed in her head.  _ “I’m sorry.” _

He didn’t need to apologize. He didn’t need to do any of that, just for their sake.  _ I’m coming for you, Rhys, _ she thought to herself as she let her head fall back against the headrest of the chair. They still had about three hours until their arrival, and Sasha took opportunity to close her eyes. Somehow, whether due to the steady rocking motion of the ship or residual exhaustion from being shot, she managed to slip into a quiet, dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't worry, you'll learn more about what's happening to rhys in the next chapter (which will probably be out soon).


	3. 'cause you're there for me too

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sasha, Vaughn and Yvette launch their rescue mission the only way they know how to: desperately, craftily, and way too violently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this got super long so it took a while to finish, and i'm not the best at endings, but i hope you all like it!

“Why is it so fucking cold here?” Sasha complained, hugging her thin jacket more tightly around herself. They’d only just landed on the moon moments ago, and she was already shivering.

“Elpis has no atmosphere,” Yvette explained, stretching her arms above her head and then cracking her neck. “Which is why we’re going to need to wear these.”

She removed three Oz kits from the backpack she’d brought with her, handing one to each of them. She also pulled out the weapons she’d stashed in there, although only Sasha looked even remotely comfortable handling a gun.

“Do we really need these?” Vaughn asked, frowning at the weapon like it was about to bite him.

Yvette scoffed. “At least act like you know how to use it.”

“Okay, okay,” Vaughn conceded, tucking the gun into his waistband and clicking the Oz kit into place on the back of his head. “Where to, captain?”

“The Darksiders have a base about half a mile from here,” Yvette said, projecting a map of Triton Flats from the hi-tech ECHOcomm she carried with her everywhere. “We’re gonna have to walk the rest of the way so we don’t attract attention.”

Sasha nodded, but Vaughn looked nauseous at the suggestion.

“Don’t worry,” she said, giving him a reassuring smile. “What’s so bad about a little moonwalk?”

* * *

There were a lot of bad things about a little moonwalk. The far too spread out oxygen pockets, various scav gangs and Kraggons were awful, but the Shuggurath of Ice that seemed to have popped out of nowhere and nearly turned Vaughn into an icicle had to take the fucking cake. Had Sasha not unloaded an entire clip of explosive rounds into the monster’s creepy blue eye, they probably would’ve had to drag Vaughn back to the ship (a statue didn’t make for a good rescue team member), which would’ve added even more time and ugly enemies to their trek.

“I hate Elpis,” Vaughn grumbled, massaging his left arm, which he’d fallen on when he’d jumped out of the line of fire (or, more accurately, line of ice).

“You said that about Pandora at first too,” Sasha pointed out, reloading her SMG as she walked.

“And I still hate it!” Vaughn said emphatically.

Sasha chuckled and rolled her eyes, fully prepared to continue to tease him before Yvette held her arm out to stop them. “Their headquarters should be right over there.”

One of her long, manicured fingers pointed towards a decrepit Catch-a-Ride station attached to another building, this one adorned with a large prism design and neon lights.

“That’s their symbol!” Vaughn said a bit too loudly in his excitement, prompting both women to shush him.

“Right, sorry,” he whispered sheepishly. “How do we get in?”

“There should be an entrance through the Catch-a-Ride,” Yvette said. “We just have to find a way inside.”

The three made their way over to the building, the entrance to which was completely boarded up. The sign was hanging lopsided off just one hinge, and the walls were covered with graffiti of various gang signs. Sasha frowned as she ran a hand over the markings, the crude defacement like a slap in the face to Scooter’s memory.

“Come on,” Vaughn said softly, as if he could read her thoughts. “Once we get Rhys out of here, we’ll fix this place up good as new.”

Sasha nodded, the mention of Rhys drawing her back to their main objective. “I’ll go check around back and see if there’s a way in.”

She forced herself to get her breathing under control as she walked, receiving the alert that her air supply was half-depleted. She didn’t want to take the time to hike back to the nearest oxygen pocket, so she hoped they’d find a way indoors sooner than later.

The back of the building was made of solid metal, and Sasha couldn’t see any entrance in sight. She did, however, see a ladder, and figured she might as well take her chances and find out what was up there. She cursed as her boot got stuck on one of the rungs, but eventually made it to the top. From this vantage point, she was able to note that the upper levels of the Darksiders’ tower had balconies, which was probably their best shot at getting inside.

“Guys!” she hissed, leaning over the side of the building and gesturing to Vaughn and Yvette. “Up here!”

The two exchanged confused glances, but then shrugged and did as she said.

“Look!” Sasha said once they’d made it to the top. “That’s our way in!”

Vaughn raised his eyebrows. “Um, Sasha, in case you didn’t notice, that’s like, a thousand feet in the air.”

“I said that’s our way in,” she replied. “Not that I know how to get there.”

“Would this work?”

They hadn’t noticed Yvette wandering away from them, and turned to see her pointing to a glowing green set of stripes and arrows on the ground.

“Is that a jump pad?” Sasha asked excitedly, nearly bowling Vaughn over in her eagerness. “Oh my god, I’ve heard all about these from Athena, they’re supposed to be so cool!”

Yvette grinned. “Guess it’s your lucky day.”

Vaughn look sickened at the mere thought of using the jump pad. “We’re using that thing to- to fly up to that balcony? Through the air?”

“Do you have any better ideas?” Sasha asked, placing a hand on her hip.

“No,” Vaughn admitted. “I’m just not a fan of heights.”

“Well, it’s time to face your fears, buddy,” Yvette said, running a program on her comm that made the energy device start to spark. “This should do the trick.”

Sasha took a deep breath. “See you losers on the other side.”

She made a beeline for the jump pad, screaming in both fear and excitement as her stomach dropped and she flew through the air. She landed in a manner best described as not graceful, and had just managed to stand up before Vaughn and Yvette slammed into the ground where she’d been moments before.

Vaughn groaned, trying to shove Yvette’s body off of him. “Told you we shouldn’t have both gone at once.”

“Oh, please,” Yvette snorted. “You’d still be down there if I hadn’t held your hand.”

Vaughn spluttered, not gratifying her with an answer. “Let’s just find a way inside already.”

Yvette shrugged, tugging on the door in front of them. “Locked.”

Sasha told them to stand back before dissolving the doorknob with a corrosive bullet. “Shall we?”

Unfortunately, Yvette’s map didn’t include the inside of the fortress, so they were going in blind. Sasha led the way, peeking around each corner with her gun to make sure there were no enemies in their way. They passed a few gang members, but Sasha managed to take them down with a silent chokehold. The first guy she’d dropped had Yvette letting out an impressed whistle and Vaughn muttering about seriously going to be sick this time.

“Where the hell is he?” Vaughn asked as they continued the arduous task of searching for Rhys. He was nervous, and he wasn’t the only one.

“How the hell should I know?” Yvette whispered in reply. “This place is like a maze.”

Sasha groaned, running one hand through her hair while the other continued to clutch her weapon in a deathgrip. “We have to be close, right?”

“Close to what, sweetheart?”

A slimy voice to her left had Sasha slamming an elbow back into the stranger’s face, followed by a close-range headshot. The sound, which she immediately regretted making, drew the attention of other Darksiders, who started to fan out around them.

“Get behind cover!” Sasha shouted, the shocked looks of fear on her friends’ faces making it clear that they’d probably be useless in a fight.

She took out the first row of soldiers in front of her with a wide sweep of her gun, the sound of gunshots drowning out the grunts of pain as the scavs dropped one by one.

“To your right!”

Sasha heeded Yvette’s warning before her brain had even fully processed the words, diving out of the way of a huge fiery blast that had been heading straight for her.

“What the hell was that?” she yelled, firing off more rounds and hitting the one with the big-ass gun square in the chest.

Yvette ducked out from her hiding spot, making a few defensive shots as she made her way to the strange, glowing weapon.

“It’s not any maker I recognize,” she said, trying to speak loudly to be heard over the pandemonium.

She’d holstered her own weapon to inspect the stolen one in her hands, leaving her defenseless to the attacker running towards her from behind with a jagged katana in hand.

“Yvette!” Vaughn shouted, launching himself out of hiding and tackling the assailant to the ground. He felt the sword slice through his bicep, and bit his lip in pain as he fumbled for the gun in his pocket. He was fairly confident he could kill the dude when he was literally on top of him.

However, there was no way he could take out the wave of attackers that had just flanked him from behind. Sasha was still engaged in combat on the other side of the huge room, having been nearly backed into the stairwell. Vaughn scrunched his eyes shut, clicking the safety off his gun and lining it up with the tinted helmet; at least he’d go down fighting.

Before he could even pull the trigger, Yvette was screaming at him to move out of the way, and he obliged on pure instinct, rolling off the Darksider and towards the wall just in time for Yvette to fire the giant gun in her hands without hitting him.

The kickback was as powerful as the shot was loud, and Yvette was nearly knocked back on her ass.

“What the fuck was that?” Sasha yelled, bolting back into the main room as what sounded like a grenade exploded behind her. “Nabbed it from one of the corpses,” she explained with a shrug. “But that’s not important. What’s important is whatever the _hell_ that thing is.”

Her pointer finger trailed from the glowing red gun in Yvette’s hands to the bright fuschia orb enveloping the enemies that had been converging on Vaughn. The bubble of energy was engulfed with flames both inside and out, the tendrils reaching to ignite the Darksiders not trapped within. The scavs were screaming, and Yvette stared at the still-smoldering gun in her trembling hands.

“That’s not possible.” The waver in her voice suggested that it was definitely possible, Yvette just didn’t want to accept it. “There’s no way.”

“What is it?” Sasha asked, stepping closer. While she may have been a gun enthusiast, she had no understanding of the mechanics like Yvette did. She attempted to take the gun from her to inspect it herself, but jerked back as the barrel burned her hand.

“Shit!” she hissed, shaking her hand the cool it. “What the hell kind of gun…?”

The pained yells of the Darksiders had finally subsided, but Sasha was so engrossed in the burning weapon that she didn’t even notice. The heat was controlled, powerful yet concentrated unlike any other elemental weapon she’d handled. It reminded her of the times Rhys would get overly emotional or overcome by flashbacks, his tattoos smoldering, spurring him to run outside and cool down so that he didn’t accidentally burn Sasha.

“It’s gotta be him, Yvette.”

Vaughn still looked confused, but Yvette, who’d remained stoic and composed throughout the entire ordeal so far, had started to silently cry at Sasha’s words.

“Can someone explain to me what the hell is going on?” Vaughn said, frowning at the seeming mutual understanding that he wasn’t a part of. His grimace probably also had to do with the fact that he had a bleeding stab wound, although the adrenaline pumping through him prevented him from feeling too much pain.

The blazing energy field from the gun had finally tapered off, leaving the ashy, mostly-incinerated remains of the Darksiders to drift slowly across the scorched ground.

“There’s only one thing with power like that,” Yvette said, trying to wrestle her emotions back under control as she spoke. “To- to create that sort of energy is i-impossible with a gun.”

Vaughn had the courtesy to not point out her stammering, just as she pretended not to see the blood to avoid freaking him out, continuing the conversation as if nothing was wrong. “I may be more of a numbers guy, but, um, is that not a gun?”

“That’s not the point,” Yvette said, rubbing at her eyes with the back of her hand. “It’s not the weapon itself supplying the energy, it’s- it’s Rhys.”

“What?” Vaughn said, somehow even more confused.

“That gun phaselocked,” Sasha said, lip trembling. “Only- only sirens can do that.”

“But how did they--”

Vaughn didn’t have the chance to finish his question as the quiet air was cut with a scream so pained it made Sasha’s heart ache. All three were on their feet in an instant, meeting eyes in search of dreaded confirmation of what they hoped wasn’t true.

“It’s him,” Vaughn said finally, gulping. He’d known Rhys the longest, and could recognize his bro’s voice anywhere.

Yvette put a hand on his shoulder, having finally composed herself and dropped the gun on the floor. “We’re gonna get him back, Vaughn. I know it.”

Vaughn slowly nodded, averting his gaze and starting towards the stairs.

“Maybe I should, uh, go first?” Sasha suggested, waving her gun as evidence.

“Oh, yeah, of course,” Vaughn said, pausing and grabbing the siren-powered weapon before following the other two down towards where they’d heard Rhys. If this ended up being anything like his experience dabbling in Vault hunting, they’d need all the firepower they could get.

* * *

Rhys couldn’t remember a time when his body wasn’t made of pain. Every breath ripped a shudder from him, every blink agonizing as he knew he couldn’t give in to the darkness. He didn’t know how long he’d been trapped in that room, or how long it had been since he’d last eaten or slept.

His eyelids were drooping, as they always seemed to be now, but he was brought back to consciousness by the twisting of one of the various eridium shards embedded in his abdomen.

“Wakey, wakey,” Lara chided, pacing before Rhys as she so often did.

“Wasn’t sleeping,” Rhys coughed, the sound wet and causing blood to dribble out from the corner of his mouth.

He’d given up on the snarky comments after he’d been used to charge eight, nine, maybe even ten weapons; he’d lost his ability to count around the same time he’d lost the ability to cry from dehydration.

“Good,” she said, nudging his numbed-out legs with her boot. “‘Cause security says you’ve got visitors.”

That drew Rhys’ attention, and he tried to reign his scattered thoughts back in. “What?”

“Your pals, all the way from Pandora.” Her smirk made Rhys nauseous, although starvation made actually puking impossible. “Tryna run a lil’ rescue operation or something. Ain’t that cute?”

Rhys didn’t respond, still trying to discern whether she was messing with him, trying to get in his head.

“I _said,”_ she growled, yanking on his hair so hard his scalp burned, “ _ain’t that cute?”_

“Sure!” Rhys said quickly, wanting her hand off of him as soon as possible.

“Think we should show ‘em a warm welcome? You’ve been bein’ good, ain’tcha?”

If by “being good” she meant letting his body be used like a damn power generator, then yeah, he’d been a fucking saint. But personal experience taught Rhys that the Darksiders’ idea of friendliness involved torture, death and electrocution, and he’d rather die than let any of that happen to his friends.

“Please,” he stammered, trying to make himself look as vulnerable as possible; Lara seemed like a sucker for a good ol’ power trip. “Don’t hurt them.”

“Who said anything about hurtin’ ‘em?” Lara smirked as she regarded him. “I don’t care about hurtin’ nobody but you, Rhys.”

Rhys swallowed down the bile rising in his throat at her words and forced himself to meet her challenge. “Then hurt me. I’m all yours. Just let them go.”

“Ain’t that noble of you,” Lara mused. “But I wasn’t plannin’ on hurtin’ ‘em.”

“Oh,” Rhys said quietly.

“Killin’ ‘em’s way easier,” she cackled, smacking Rhys across the jaw as he started to protest. “And don’t worry, sweetheart. I’ll make sure to still hurt you too.”

* * *

Another cry of pain pierced the air, and Sasha was all but sprinting in her haste to get to Rhys. Screams meant he was still alive, right? The thought of Rhys not being dead propelled her to keep going, even as the fear of what state she might find him in gnawed at her.

The screams were coming from behind a set of large, metal doors, and Sasha skidded to a stop in front of them, panting. Vaughn and Yvette were close behind and similarly out of breath, taking a moment to pause before deciding on their next move. The entrance to where Rhys was no doubt being held was unguarded, but Sasha knew that there were soldiers just waiting to attack once they entered.

Sasha took a deep breath before turning to her companions. “Here’s the plan; I’ll go in there and try to distract them, then you grab Rhys and get out of there.”

Yvette shook her head. “It won’t be that simple. If they managed to hack Atlas to get to him, who knows what kind of security might be in there?”

“I don’t give a shit about security!” Sasha snapped before forcing herself to calm down and apologize. “I just- I need to get him out of there.”

“We all want him to be safe,” Yvette said, flinching as Rhys screamed again.

“Don’t worry, Sash,” Vaughn said, offering a grin. “He won’t be there much longer.”

Before either could react, Vaughn had clicked the safety off the siren-weapon and aimed it at the door, firing as he walked toward it. The door was blown clean off its hinges, and the predicted line of reinforcements inside were caught in the blaze.

“Go!” Vaughn yelled, ushering Sasha and Yvette inside as he made sure no other guards got past.

Sasha coughed as she pushed through the smoke, her lungs burning as she shouted Rhys’ name. She received no response, but as she continued to wander through the darkness, she heard a disgustingly familiar voice.

“Well ain’t that a shocker; guess they made it to ya after all!”

Sasha clenched her fist at Lara’s voice, attempting to continue her approach undetected.

“P-please.” That whimper was unmistakably Rhys’, and the broken sound of it made her want to choke the life out of someone. “Y-you have m-me. You don’t n-need them.”

“You’re right,” Lara replied, her tone falsely considerate. “But I want ‘em. And you’re gonna give ‘em to me.”

A bolt of lightning-like shockwaves ignited the air, wrenching a scream out of Rhys and illuminating his spasming body. Sasha tried to duck away from what would surely be an explosive blast, but found her limbs stuck in place. The rest of the commotion in the room appeared similarly suspended, and Sasha wondered if maybe she’d actually died during one of the various battles in the compound. A strange, warbly purple gas clung around her, and she found herself being tugged forward by an invisible force. The air was vibrating, a high pitched whine accentuated by a very human, very Rhys-like cry of pain.

“Rhys!” Sasha shouted again, struggling against the restraints she couldn’t see.

She could see him shuddering, his tattoos pulsing fiercely as he writhed. It seemed like Vaughn and Yvette were being similarly pulled in towards Rhys, and when she realized what was happening they were already stuck before him and Lara.

The Colonel was holding a flashing gun, the one which had no doubt been used to phaselock them. The light glinted off her teeth, and she flashed them a predatory grin.

“Look, Rhys! I found your friends!”

The only response from Rhys was another broken scream.

“You’re hurting him!” she shouted, unable to physically attack Lara but more than willing to verbally harass her.

“No,” Lara said, her smirk unfazed. “ _He’s_ hurting _you.”_

Sasha was about to ask what the fuck she was talking about when she was thrown to the ground in an explosive blast, landing awkwardly on her side and crying out at the pain erupting in her ankle. She may not be a medical professional, but she was pretty sure feet weren’t supposed to bend that way.

“Fuck,” she groaned, turning to see Vaughn and Yvette in similar positions of pain.

Vaughn’s stab wound had reopened, and while it wasn’t a lethal injury, they’d need to get it cleaned up soon so that it didn’t get infected. Yvette was applying pressure to Vaughn’s arm to staunch the bleeding, and she luckily didn’t look too banged up herself.

Sasha dragged herself towards Rhys, whom she now saw was restrained by his arms and neck. His torso was bare, his blue tattoos so prominent they outshone Rhys himself, as if he were simply a design rather than an entire being. His ribs, which were shaking as he struggled to breathe, were covered in blood, dripping down his sides and onto the floor.

A glowing wire that looked like a physical extension of his tattoos, almost like some weird mad scientist-created umbilical cord, was connected to the gun in Lara’s hands. She hadn’t been kidding when she’d said she’d be using Rhys as a weapon.

Lara’s attention was now focused on Vaughn and Yvette, whom she was approaching without even flinching at Rhys’ screams. With shaky hands, Sasha slid her pistol out of her waistband. Lara’s shield generator was blinking, in the recharge delay phase after protecting her from the blast.

Sasha grinned; now was her chance.

“Hey asshole!” she shouted, causing Lara to turn around from her predatory stalking. “Yeah, you!”

She grinned, clicking a bullet into the chamber. “Go fuck yourself.”

The shot hit directly between Lara’s eyes. The Colonel’s mouth opened in surprise as blood began to flow from the entry point down her face. She fell backwards, and then she was still.

“Holy shit, Sasha!” Yvette said, helping Vaughn limp over to their friend. “That was amazing!”

Sasha grinned, doing a little bow. “Thanks.”

A small whimper from their right drew their attention back from their celebration.

“Rhys,” Sasha said, falling to her knees in front of him. “Hey, babe, look at me."

She attempted to nudge his shoulder, but flinched away as if she’d been burned.

“Fuck,” she muttered before turning to Vaughn and Yvette. “We need to get this collar off him.”

They both nodded, Yvette squeezing Vaughn comfortingly on the shoulder before walking over to search Lara’s body.

Aside from her weapons and shield, there was nothing even remotely resembling a key. She was about to give up before she noticed a small remote strapped to the sleeve of Lara’s jacket.

“I think this is it!” she said, ripping the remote free.

She carried it back over to Vaughn and Sasha, who crowded around it to inspect it. “Which button are we supposed to press?”

It was just their luck that the remote had to have about twenty unlabeled buttons, each of a different color. Sasha shrugged, carefully taking the device from Yvette. She knew that some of these buttons were what was used to electrocute Rhys, so trying every single button until they found the right one was the opposite of a good idea.

“Orange.”

Rhys’ voice was so quiet that Sasha wasn’t sure if she’d imagined it, but then he spoke again.

“Orange…button.”

His words were barely audible, more of a rasping sound than anything, and his eyes were still closed. But the fact that he was alive and awake sent an excited thrill through Sasha, and her hands shook as she pressed the orange button.

There was a series of clicking noises, and then the color around Rhys’ neck opened, releasing him. His head immediately dropped forward so that his chin touched his sternum, too weak to hold it up himself. The cuffs on his wrists followed and broke away, and Rhys would’ve fallen flat on his face had Sasha not managed to catch him. She gently lowered him down so that he was on his front with his head was in her lap, but then frowned as he hissed in pain.

“Rhys?” she said, immediately worried she’d somehow hurt him.

When she carefully turned him onto his back so that she could see his face, the source of the pain became clear.

“Shit, is that eridium?” Vaughn asked, looking pale.

He and Yvette were kneeling next to Sasha and Rhys, the latter looking unconscious. The blood that Sasha had noticed earlier was mostly dried, but it had flown across his body from the light, pastel purple shards jabbed into his chest.

“I thought that stuff’s supposed to be darker,” Sasha said, running her fingers through Rhys’ sweat-matted hair in an attempt to comfort him (although she was pretty sure he’d passed out).

“He must’ve absorbed all the energy from them already,” Yvette said, pointing to the pile of unused, royal purple eridium piled nearby.

Vaughn nodded, but then his attention was drawn to the weird wire sticking out of Rhys’ chest. He was so easily distractible, and it reminded Sasha of her boyfriend. “What’s that thing?”

Sasha frowned. “I think that’s how they powered the weapons.”

She pointed to its connection to the gun Lara had been wielding, biting her lip. “Should we- do we tear it out of him?”

“I don’t think we have another choice,” Yvette replied.

“Okay, well, I’ll do it,” Vaughn volunteered, scooting closer. “If it hurts like a bitch-- which it probably will-- he’ll be most likely to forgive me.”

They couldn’t argue with his logic, and Sasha lightly put her hands on Rhys’ shoulders to hold him steady.

“Sorry bro,” Vaughn said sadly.

Then he pulled.

Rhys grunted in pain, flesh hand clawing desperately at the ground as he tried to ignore the feeling of part of his chest being ripped off.

“It’s alright,” Sasha said softly, glad Rhys’ eyes were closed so he couldn’t see her horrified expression.

Vaughn had managed to yank the clamp clean off, pulling with it a small patch of flesh and a whole lot of blood.

“Shit,” he said, tossing the offending wire out of the way. “Shit, I’m sorry.”

“‘S okay,” Rhys said through gritted teeth. “Still gotta- gotta get the-- _shit_ \-- eridium out.”

The three looked down at what had to be at least ten shards in his abdomen.

“Shouldn’t we wait til we get back to Cassius?” Vaughn asked, worried about the prospect of Rhys traveling with more open wounds.

Rhys shook his head, although the movement sent a spasm of pain through his neck. “Need to- cool down.”

Sasha nodded regretfully as she saw he was right; even without the forced electrocution, his tattoos were still glowing, and his body was covered in a sheen of sweat. “He can’t keep using his energy like this.”

Yvette sighed. “She’s right.”

Rhys cracked a bloody smile. “Like r-ripping off a b-bandaid.”

As confident as he was trying to sound, his flesh hand was now searching blindly for something-- for Sasha’s hand, she realized after a moment. She interlaced her fingers with his, giving his hand a comforting squeeze.

“Just focus on me, okay?” She said it quietly, so that only Rhys could hear. He nodded, his hand suddenly clenching in hers as Yvette started to remove the first eridium piece.

His body, which was still operating on pure survival instincts, began to spark slightly at the pain in a sort of last-ditch defense effort. Yvette snatched her hand back in pain, and Rhys weakly apologized as he tried to calm himself back down. He focused on the rhythmic circles Sasha’s thumb was rubbing on his knuckles, breathing in deeply before telling Yvette to continue.

His eyes were still closed, but tears managed to leak out as Yvette got to work. By the time she’d finished picking out the pieces, Sasha’s hand had gone numb from how tightly Rhys had been holding it. She didn’t mind, though, and gently pressed a kiss to Rhys’ forehead.

He let out a shaky breath, his chest hitching. He lightly ran his cybernetic hand over his chest, feeling the various cuts and gashes.

“Where’s your shirt, bro?” Vaughn asked, wanting to make Rhys as comfortable as possible for the trek back.

“Gone,” he said simply, sighing as his breathing started to even out.

Yvette frowned. “We need to stop the bleeding.”

“Here,” Sasha said, shrugging off her jacket and handing it to Yvette.

Rhys grimaced at the pressure, but soon relaxed. “Thanks. How did you even- urgh- get here?”

“Ellie built us a rocket,” Vaughn said, the wonder returning to his voice as he remembered their sick ride. “You’re gonna love it, bro.”

“He’s right,” Sasha said, smiling. “Reminds me of the one we took to Helios. You were trying to act like that asshole Vasquez, remember?”

She elbowed him lightly, trying to raise his spirits; but he didn’t respond, not even to the jostling. “Rhys?”

“I think he passed out,” Yvette said, slowly rising to her feet. “I’m gonna look around for an Anshin, not sure if we can move him like this.”

Sasha nodded, taking over the attempt to staunch the bleeding as Yvette left. “It’s okay,” she whispered, squeezing Rhys’ hand despite the lack of response. “It’s going to be okay.”

She didn’t know which of them she was trying to reassure.

* * *

Rhys had returned to semi-consciousness after Yvette had jabbed an insta-health vial into his thigh, the feeling slowly coming back to his numbed out legs. He still hadn’t reopened his eyes, but he’d started muttering something about rivers of lava that had all of his friends slightly worried about his sanity.

Vaughn and Yvette each looped one of his arms around their shoulders, carrying him forwards lopsidedly because of the height difference as Sasha led the way with guns double-fisted. The cybernetic arm alone must’ve weighed fifty pounds, and Yvette was glad she was holding up her friend’s left side. She did feel kind of bad for the way Vaughn had started to sweat, especially with his semi-busted arm, and gave Rhys another two Anshins scrounged from corpses to help lessen the burden on Vaughn.

The feeling hadn’t yet completely returned to Rhys’ legs, but he tried to stumble along as best he could along sore muscles, if only to help his friends. They had to get out of there, had to escape before--

“The fuck do you think you’re doing?”

Everyone paused at the sudden interruption.

“I thought we killed all these jerks!” Vaughn said, although it ended up coming out as more of a question.

“Told you,” Rhys said, grunting as he knelt down to shakily inject himself with a half-used Anshin that had been discarded. “Magma Rivers.”

“Still have no idea what you’re talking about, bro,” Vaughn said, glancing from Rhys to the armored bandit now staring them down. “And I, uh, don’t think you’re supposed to be using so many of those at once.”

He gestured to the health vial Rhys still clutched in his shaking hand, and Rhys dropped it with a small smile. “Y-y’know what they say about desperate times…”

“Guys, we have to go!” Sasha shouted over her shoulder, having taken a defensive stance.

“Not a chance, sweetcheeks.” The scavenger’s voice oozed creepiness, and Sasha shuddered at the proximity of the words. “You’ve ruined all my toys.”

Sasha scowled, hoping the step backwards she took was being read accurately as disgust rather than fear. “Listen, little man; we’re leaving, and we’re leaving _now_. And if you don’t get out of my way, well…”

Sasha’s glare concluded her threat better than any words could, and she felt goosebumps pop up all over her skin as the bandit’s slitted, reptilian eyes slid over her body.

Finally, his mouth twisted into a crooked, fanged smile. “You’ve got spunk. I like that in a woman-- so much that I’ll give you a chance to convince me otherwise from killin’ you.”

Sasha gagged at his insinuation. “In your dreams, asshole.”

“That’s too bad, girl,” Rivers said in mock remorse. “Could’ve had a real good time, you and me.”

Sasha didn’t even gratify him with a response.

“Guess this is the end of the line for you lot, then,” he said smugly, stepping forward so that he could both leer at the group and put his nasty, veiny hand on Sasha’s shoulder. “Where’s that weird siren bitch gone off to? Was gonna make ‘em watch…”

Vaughn, Yvette and Sasha looked around in similar confusion, because hadn’t Rhys been hunched on the ground behind them, like, two seconds ago?

“Looking for me?”

Rhys’ voice had that nervous, nerdy quality that accompanied any attempts to sound slightly badass, and Sasha knew her heart would be beating out of control at the sound of it even without the whole near-death-experience fueling her adrenaline. She looked over her shoulder to smile at him, although her expression froze halfway at the sight of him.

Rhys had returned to where they’d originally found him, although this time unrestrained. His tattoos were pulsing, and his eyes, wide open with fury, were glowing a brilliant purple, so bright that neither pupil nor sclera were visible. He stalked towards them, both hands clenched into fists, before stopping at Sasha’s side. His cybernetic hand shoved Rivers’ grip off of Sasha, and nearly sent the Darksider scrabbling onto the floor.

“That’s my girlfriend, douchewad. So don’t you _ever_ touch her again.” Rhys’ wings flashed as he growled, and Sasha had no idea where the hell his sudden second wind had come from.

Rivers laughed, the sound wet and hacking-- and _not_ the sound any of them had been expecting.

“What’s so funny?” Rhys said lowly, eyes narrowed.

“You idiots actually think you’ve won!” Rivers said, cackling. “I’ve got more people surrounding this whole base already. Kudos for getting this far, but honestly, you’re just another annoying pain in the ass to take care of before we can get back to _real_ business.”

The hungry look he shot in Rhys’ direction made it clear that his continued enslavement was the sort of business being referenced.

“We’re getting out of here,” Yvette said in her negotiator voice, having risen up to stand as well.

“Yeah,” Vaughn echoed, not sure of what to do but ready to help nonetheless.

“On your little spaceship?” Rivers’ patronizing tone made all of their stomachs drop. “That hunk of crap’s already been stripped for parts and shipped halfway to Outlands Spur by now!”

Sasha could feel her body going numb with the realization that they were trapped, that this was it. Her sister wouldn’t even know what happened.

“I’m sorry, Rhys,” she whispered, a tear slipping down her cheek; she’d failed to save him, failed to do the one thing she’d promised.

“Don’t be,” Rhys said, his voice weirdly as self-assured as ever.

Then the sound of impact and ripping flesh hit her ears.

She flinched backwards to look at Rhys, who was staring at his own torso with a sort of grim fascination. His flesh hand was still wrapped around the large eridium chunk he’d stabbed himself with, and he watched the blood dripping down his hips as his body twitched with the onslaught of energy.

“Rhys!” Sasha made to grab for Rhys’ left wrist, to stop him from digging that sickening purple crystal further into his flesh, but the look in his blindingly luminescent eyes forced her to stop.

“It’s okay,” he said, smiling with twitching lips. “We’re going home.”

* * *

It took Rhys a week to wake back up.

That was what they told him, when he opened his eyes to find himself in Atlas’ makeshift hospital. The sheer amount of backed up appointments and shipments flashing across his ECHOeye showed that it was probably a much longer time than Cassius had said, but it wasn’t exactly like there was much he could do about it at that point.

Sasha had nearly crushed him when she’d heard he was awake, bolting into the room with dark bags under her eyes and her hair in disarray.

“You _idiot_!” she shouted, wrapping her arms around him and tugging him impossibly close. “What the fuck were you thinking?!”

Rhys paused, still very disoriented. “Um, what are you--”

“You scared the shit out of me!” Sasha said, burying her head between his neck and shoulder as she leaned on the edge of the bed.

“S-sorry,” Rhys said sheepishly. It was slowly coming back to him, the memories of their return to Atlas. Their return which he’d initiated by jamming a huge-ass chunk of eridium into his abdomen and somehow completing a long-distance phasewalk.

“You should be,” Sasha hissed, frowning as her anger turned to worry. “Did you- did you even know it would work?”

“Which answer won’t make you punch me?” Rhys asked, smiling nervously.

Sasha groaned. “How do I ever put up with you?”

“I think the right response is ‘thank you’,” Rhys said, smirking.

“No way am I encouraging this shit,” Sasha said, although the tiny laugh that escaped her didn’t go unnoticed by Rhys.

Rhys kissed her forehead, unable to do much else what with how Sasha was still immobilizing his arms in a bone-crushing hug.

“I’m sorry,” he mumbled into her hair. “I couldn’t lose you.”

Sasha pulled back so she could look at Rhys properly. He still looked like crap, but greatly improved from when he’d transported them back to Pandora. Vaughn had literally been pulling his hair out as they waited for an Atlas shuttle to bring them back for medical treatment, watching Rhys’ still form with probably as much anxiety, if not more, as Sasha. Yvette, ever task-driven, had tried to get the eridium out of Rhys, the crystal nearly transparent after Rhys drained its energy. But the blood was too much, hot and sticky and somehow even worse than the mind-numbing brightness still emitting from Rhys’ tattoos as his chest struggled to rise and fall.

Now, after a week of medical care (which Sasha had productively spent ridding the universe of any sign of the Darksiders), Rhys had that familiar color back in his cheeks, the one that Sasha teased him about because it happened whenever he tried acting cool and ended up sounding lame. It was also the one that made him look alive and loveable and everything that Sasha had feared she might never see again.

“I love you,” she said softly, tenderly pressing a kiss against his lips.

Rhys’ tattoos flared at the comment, and he shifted so that the bandages covering his middle wouldn’t shift at the heat. He met the kiss, Sasha’s mouth warm and gentle.

“I love you too,” he said, smiling contentedly when she finally pulled back.

Sasha shook her head as she righted herself, adjusting her hair as she gestured to Vaughn and Yvette. “Your friends are here.”

Rhys’ face lit up at the sight of them, the genuine smile at the fact that he’d actually managed to get them out of the mess he’d inadvertently created tugging painfully at his sore cheeks.

“You’ll be back, right?” he asked cautiously, taking Sasha’s hand as she turned to go.

She smirked. “Of course I will, loser. So you’d better not go anywhere.”

Rhys kissed her hand before releasing it. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks for sticking with me through this. i'd like to write more for this au possibly, so if you'd be interested in reading more/have any ideas please let me know!

**Author's Note:**

> tumblr: [dragonbagel](dragonbagel.tumblr.com)  
> comments/kudos are appreciated


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